The North Alabama men’s basketball team went on the road during holiday break as they traveled to Spokane, Washington, to face Gonzaga, the seventh ranked team in the nation.

“It was a great experience,” said freshman guard Jamari Blackmon. “Something you dream of as a kid, playing on that big stage, it was a dream come true.”

The Zags started the game on a 29-0 run. After eight minutes, UNA finally hit their first shot of the game. Christian Agnew shot a three-pointer to make the game 29-3 with 12:10 remaining in the first half.

This did not stop Gonzaga as they went on to score 19 more points to end the half with a 34-point lead. This left the score at 48-14.

In the first half, the Lions only connected on 18.5 percent of their shots. In the second half, they connected on 46.4 percent, making the final 20 minutes of play look better.

“First half we started out slow with no energy,” Blackmon said. “But in the second I felt like we came to play only losing the half by three (points), which gave us lots of confidence.”

Freshman Jamari Blackmon made a three-pointer to cut the lead to 53-25. Both teams would continue to trade buckets for a couple of possessions.

With 9:05 left in the game, Gonzaga increased the lead to 70-38. The Zags ended the game on a 26-13 run. Gonzaga destroyed the Lions with a 96-51 home win in Spokane.

After Gonzaga, the Lions travelled to Eastern Illinois and North Florida. The Lions lost to both, losing to EIU 81-70 and NFU 96-67. They now are 5-13 with a two-game winning streak.

“We played this tough schedule in preparation for conference play,” Blackmon said. “We will learn from our mistakes, correct them so we can come out on top. So I feel we will do well, very confident in my team.”